Siege of Bastogne

The Siege of Bastogne (20-27 December 1944) was the decisive action of the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. The Germans attempted to take the key American communications center at Bastogne, Belgium from the US 101st Airborne Division during their Ardennes offensive, and they nearly took the city; however, the 101st Airborne bravely refused to surrender, and the US Third Army came to its aid and lifted the siege on 26 December.

Hasso von Manteuffel's 5th Panzer Army was sent to take the communications center at Bastogne from the American army, as the Germans sought to control the crossroads; the German mechanized forces had to seize the roadways in eastern Belgium in order to recapture the vital Belgian port of Antwerp, and all seven roads in the Ardennes converged on Bastogne. The Americans were taken by surprise, and the 101st Airborne was rushed in by truck to reinforce the surrounded city. When asked by the Germans to surrender, the American general Anthony McAuliffe sent a single-word response: "Nuts!" (a euphemism for "go to hell"). The city was constantly in danger of falling as the Americans ran low on ammunition and suffered heavy losses, but the German failure to secure the town quickly presented Manteuffel with growing resupply difficulties. The Germans lost their advantage of air superiority when the skies cleared of bad weather, allowing for the US Air Force to unleash its might upon the German forces. On 26 December, George S. Patton's US Third Army drove up from the south to relieve Bastogne, and Manteuffel failed to drive them back and take the town. The Germans were ultimately forced to lift the siege. The Americans would soon retake the towns around Bastogne in January, taking Foy, Recogne, and Noville, each after significant fighting.